How-To: Swap Bench 2nd row to Captains Chairs with Console

[2020FordRaptor]

So I have bench seats in my '23 ST. On the fence about them but i'm discovering my youngest (7) likes to get into the 3rd row by jumping over the 2nd row seating.

What's the difference between the bench seat outer seats and the captains chairs? I've been trying to look at photos but are they the same seat other than the armrest and the lower bolstering/stitching design? I'm wondering if i could make due just pulling the middle seat and installing some temp carpeting and the cupholder console temporarily. At least then my youngest has a path to the rear seat.

Not sure i want to commit to the full captain chair swap yet as my oldest will be driving soon so there may not be a need to access the 3rd row, in which case I can leave those seats down fully and be fine with the bench.

Yeah that would work. Probably wouldn't look the best, but it would work.

 

[KoolAl44]

@bguild I have to thank you for your amazing write-up! You gave me the confidence to purchase a 2021 that just came off lease, even though it had captain's chairs when I needed a bench seat. To your point, I can confirm that swapping captain's chairs for the bench seat does work!

The downside - I just discovered - is that I got the bench from a 2020 XLT, which does not have the powered fold-down feature. In and of itself, I'm not too bothered by that, but, it lacks the wiring harness and control unit that provides power to the rear-folding seats. I did not realize this while I swapped all the seats, and now my 3rd row is stuck in the flat-down position.

So, I'm going to have to get the harnesses reconnected so I can put the 3rd row upright. And then, I need to decide how to proceed. I'll either remove the unit from my captain's chairs, or find what I need from a junkyard for a reasonable price. (I plan to put the captain's chairs back in someday when my kids have grown up enough that I don't need 7 seats.

I did manage to get the seats for only $213, so I can't complain about the cost. And the work only took me a few hours today.

What was your solution. I just did this exact thing and was going to transfer the harness from the captain chairs to the bench

 

[Adewale]

2) Unbolt 2 front (13mm) and 2 rear (13mm) for the drivers side and passengers side 2nd row seats.

Hello, please by chance do you still have the seats removed after you moved to captain seats? i just got a an XLT model from auction but its completely missing all the second row seats.

 

[2020FordRaptor]

Hello, please by chance do you still have the seats removed after you moved to captain seats? i just got a an XLT model from auction but its completely missing all the second row seats.

Just an FYI, the bench seat wouldn’t match the rest of the seats in your XLT.

 

[Adewale]

Seems the same to me; the interceptor models don't match due to its bolts tying positioning but looking the positions and bolting of the pictures you attached, they do.

 

[2020FordRaptor]

Seems the same to me; the interceptor models don't match due to its bolts tying positioning but looking the positions and bolting of the pictures you attached, they do.

No, they’ll physically fit but the upholstery is different.

 

[Adewale]

I understand the leathered works maybe(infact differ), as far as they fit and both front have leather seats, they are fine by me.

 

[Mustang5L5]

So I have bench seats in my '23 ST. On the fence about them but i'm discovering my youngest (7) likes to get into the 3rd row by jumping over the 2nd row seating.

What's the difference between the bench seat outer seats and the captains chairs? I've been trying to look at photos but are they the same seat other than the armrest and the lower bolstering/stitching design? I'm wondering if i could make due just pulling the middle seat and installing some temp carpeting and the cupholder console temporarily. At least then my youngest has a path to the rear seat.

Not sure i want to commit to the full captain chair swap yet as my oldest will be driving soon so there may not be a need to access the 3rd row, in which case I can leave those seats down fully and be fine with the bench.

Just to update, this is what I ended up doing. Just removing the center bench seat. In and out a few times now so it’s been convienent to swap between 6 and 7 seat setups as needed. Only takes me 10 mins to install/pull the seat now.

did need to take the seat belt buckle out and plug it in and tuck it under seat. Couldn’t get the belt monitor warning to go away with it unplugged

this is what it looks like with the middle seat pulled. Using an old floor mat for now but I’ll likely track down a peice of carpet I can cut to better cover the area

Looks almost like captains chairs but lacks the armrests and auto folding. Lots of room for passing through which is why I did this as my kids prefer the backseat